The present invention relates to a jewelry item having an automatically rotatable, ornamental design element thereon.
Various jewelry items such as pins, pendants, brooches, necklaces, rings, watches and similar jewelry are typically worn to aesthetically enhance a wearer""s appearance. Various prior art or conventional jewelry items include movable design elements to further enhance the aesthetic effect and novelty thereof. However, with the conventional devices, the jewels or stones are moved manually or with gravitational forces. Such manual drive means are burdensome to operate and are limited in the duration and speed with which the design element is moved. The present invention provides a jewelry item having an ornamental design element that is rotatable with a micro-motor. Accordingly a user may rotate the element for a desired duration by simply activating a switch means.
Various jewelry items having movable design elements exist in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,757 issued to Mesica et al relates to a ring having rotatably mounted and removable ornamental elements. The base of the ring includes a pair of ears for supporting a spindle with the elements threaded thereto allowing the various elements to be disassembled and reorganized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,366 issued to Green relates to a necklace comprising a journal having an axial shank rotatably extending therethrough. A gem stone is mounted on a first end of the shank with the second end having a radially, outwardly extending lever structure that frictionally engages underlying clothing or skin of the wearer to effect angular displacement of the shank member relative to the journal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,697 issued to Castelo relates to a jewel mounting structure comprising a stone secured to mounting sleeves which slidably move along a curved guide surface having a predetermined radius of curvature. A connector depends radially inwardly from the sleeve and is journaled about a shaft at the center of curvature of the guide surface. Attached to the journaling element is a weighted enclosure which causes the sleeve to rotate about the shaft until gravity maintains the enclosure at the lowest point of its circular arc.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,247,683 issued to Dankner relates to a rocking charm having a figurine thereon such as a horse which reciprocally rocks with an internally disposed wind up motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,190,778 issued to Fernandez relates to a moving mechanism for pins, brooches, etc. comprising a circular body having a centrally located aperture with a spring motor therein. Extending from the spring motor is a stem allowing the spring motor to be periodically wound. The spring motor rotates a covered picture support structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,025,447 issued to Blume relates to a jewelry article comprising a casing having a spiral spring therein. An end of the spring is attached to the casing with the other end secured to a shaft. The spring, when wound, rotates a design element.
U.S. Pat. No. 831,033 issued to Boismaure relates to a jewel mounting such as a hat pin having a hollow bowl with a collar secured thereto. A pin is secured to the collar and includes a hub concentrically received within a tube with a pair of spiral springs therein. One end of each spring is secured to the pin with the other end protruding from a slot on the tube for maintaining the ball in a constant state of vibration regardless of the pin position.
Although various jewelry items having movable design elements exist in the prior art, none relate to a device having an electrical motor means for automatically rotating a design element for a desired duration.
The present invention relates to an automatically rotatable design element mounting structure for a jewel item. The device comprises a substantially cylindrical housing having a circular bottom wall with a cylindrical side wall vertically depending therefrom and an open top end. The housing is adapted and dimensioned to receive an ornamental design element such as a gem stone. A micro-motor assembly for rotating the housing includes a hollow cylindrical casing having an electrical coil or stator received therein. The stator includes a central bore that receives a first end of a rotor drive shaft. The opposing end of the shaft is externally threaded for threadedly engaging an aperture on the design element housing. A switch means protrudes from the motor casing for establishing electrical contact between an internally disposed battery means and the stator. Accordingly, upon the switch means being activated, the micro-motor will automatically rotate the housing and the design element received therein for a desired duration. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a jewelry item having an ornamental design element that is automatically rotatable with a micro-motor.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a jewelry item that provides an enhanced aesthetically pleasing appearance.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a jewelry item that allows a user to conveniently and automatically rotate a design element for a desired duration. Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and the appended claims.